(PRESS RELEASE) PLAINFIELD, IL — Reports and statistics tell the story, but all one must do is look around. Whether it’s Baby Boomers or Generations X, Y, and Z, everyone seems to be trailing behind a wagging tail. We love our pets, and the pet industry is exploding. Pet Butler has been riding the wave of growth in the pet services sector by bringing convenience and ease of use when it comes to the responsibility and care of man’s best friend, providing not only an in-demand service for its clients, but an outstanding opportunity for pet lovers to turn their passion into a business.
Pet Butler provides dog poop-scooping services and pet-waste removal to homes and multi-family communities for thousands of clients across North America. But the Plainfield-based company known for being No. 1 in the “No. 2” business is looking to expand its footprint even more, with an aggressive expansion strategy along with the addition of complementary services that include pet sitting and dog walking to meet the growing needs of its current and future customers. Pet Butler is becoming the only service provider you will need.
The timing could not be any better. According to a recent study by Morgan Stanley, the $100 billion pet industry is poised to nearly triple to $275 billion by 2030 thanks to favorable demographics and surging increases in new pet owners and spending. What’s more, 65 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they plan to acquire or add a pet in the next five years, helping drive what’s expected to be a 14 percent increase in pet ownership by 2030.
Pet Butler The company is targeting pet-friendly communities in the Northeast, Midwest as well as the Southeast regions of the country. The change of seasons creates a good opportunity for Pet Butler to enter a market and “clean up” the piles of poop that often are left in the yard over the winter.
The parent company of Pet Butler is Spring-Green Lawn Enterprises (SGE), which also operates Spring-Green Lawn Care and its 77 franchises, ranked #29 on the 2021 Top 100 Lawn & Landscape companies nationwide. SGE was established in 2015 and sought to add another consumer-focused brand and to leverage its proven operating and marketing platforms. It became a Pet Butler franchise owner that same year with the plan to acquire the system if it proved a worthy investment once operations were thoroughly vetted. Satisfied once its due diligence was complete, SGE acquired the Pet Butler franchise system in June 2017 and now offers a modernized model for prospective franchise owners with large, protected territories that offer scalable growth and attractive recurring revenue.
Pet Butler’s client acquisition strategy centers on the tremendous response to the Plainfield, Ill. Pet Butler location, and data from several sources putting the number of dogs in American households at 83.7 million. Pet Butler franchisees have the opportunity to provide weekly service eliminating the burden from a homeowner and providing a safer and poop-free environment for their four-legged friends and family members. Pet Butler is also expanding its services with pet sitting and dog walking. Lawn disinfection, deck and patio washing, flea and tick spray and goose poop removal are also offered regionally.
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With the continued growth in pet ownership and the trends in pet parenting, (see new Washington Post article here), Pet Butler is well-positioned to be the go-to service provider for all pets’ needs.
“Our expansion of services is really about meeting the demand of our current and future customers. We have been reinvesting in our marketing & technology systems to deliver a world-class franchise model at a time where consumer demand is rising for these services. It is an exciting time to look at joining the Pet Butler organization,” said James Young, president of Pet Butler.
While you might think the economic impact of the pet poop industry is just a drop in the bucket (sorry), that’s not the case. According to the latest figures from market research publisher Packaged Facts, retail sales of pet cleanup products was expected to reach $4 billion in the U.S. And it’s no surprise that pet owners are more than willing to spend – and spend a lot – on their furry friends.
Pet Butler’s customer satisfaction surveys report an NPS (Net Promotor Score) of 74, which ranks them amongst some elite companies such as Southwest Airlines and Apple Inc.
Through those surveys Pet Butler also learned which additional pet services its current customers are already using. Forty percent of survey respondents said they use a pet sitting/dog walking service and 60 percent said they would be interested in the service should Pet Butler begin offering it.
Another fun fact around Pet Butler’s social mission – to promote the adoption of pets through local rescues and shelters – is that 60% percent of its customers adopted their dog from a local shelter and 40 percent of them have two or more dogs.
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With an affordable initial investment, Pet Butler also offers an attractive opportunity for existing business owners who already provide pet sitting/boarding, veterinary services, dog training or even specialty pet stores looking to add to their service offerings. A “Stimulus Plan” waives the initial fee for pet-industry business owners interested in joining the Pet Butler family. Qualified applicants can also apply for a forgivable microloan to help offset start-up costs. The adjusted upfront costs could be as low as $10,000 to open a Pet Butler franchise.
One of the biggest values recognized by both pet industry business owners and entrepreneurs looking to scale their business is the back-office support. Pet Butler supports franchise owners by answering all sales calls, customer service calls, and scheduling and payment processing. This allows the franchise owner to focus on building the business locally and developing their operations team to meet the demand for service.
“With the back-office support, I can keep my overhead low and focus on what I do best: being active in the community and developing my local team,” said Pete Hulse, Pet Butler franchise owner.
The market shows there has never been a better time for individuals to turn their passion for pets into a business. A recent TD Ameritrade study of millennials estimated they spend an average of $1,285 on their dogs and that spending is likely to only increase. TD Ameritrade’s survey also found that millennials expect to spend more money on their dogs over the course of the pet’s lifetime than they do on their own lifetime healthcare costs.
“We see the love of pets, particularly dogs, as a wonderful, positive thing for society. They offer comfort as the world gets tougher to navigate. Hopefully with our future services becoming the norm, more people will be able to adopt a dog and afford to care for it like the beloved family member that it is,” concluded Young.
